The Trump Presidency Is Going Great

Donald Trump has apparently decided that the US now runs airstrikes in Nigeria by Truth Social post, announcing that “at my direction as Commander in Chief” the US launched a “powerful and deadly strike” on ISIS “Terrorist Scum” in north-west Nigeria. No coordinates, no casualty counts, no Pentagon briefing, no Nigerian government statement—just the Department of War (yes, that’s what he’s calling it now) executing “perfect strikes,” because nothing says responsible use of military force like a caps-locked Christmas communiqué from a social network that can’t stay online for 24 hours straight.

Trump, who has been publicly fantasizing about a “guns-a-blazing” intervention in Nigeria, is selling this as a crusade to protect Christians, because if there’s one thing the religious right loves, it’s turning a complex, decades-long conflict over land, resources, and governance into a simple “Muslim bad, Christian good” movie pitch. Analysts point out that much of the violence is driven by competition over water and farmland and good old-fashioned criminal ransom schemes—but sure, let’s rebrand it as a holy war and send in American bombs with a side of domestic campaign messaging.

So we now have the US apparently conducting airstrikes in a sovereign, officially secular country with a nearly 50/50 Muslim-Christian split, based on a president’s public promise that there would be “hell to pay” if they didn’t handle things the way he likes. No congressional debate, no transparency, and no details beyond “trust me, they were perfect.” In other words: unilateral military action wrapped in sectarian rhetoric, live-streamed from a grievance app—because nothing screams “respect for international law” like using another nation’s internal conflict as a stage prop for your Christian nationalist fanbase.

Donald Trump has once again decided that international law is more of a vibe than a rulebook, appointing Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as "special envoy to Greenland" – a semi-autonomous part of Denmark that he has repeatedly said he wants to annex, like it’s a golf course with better ice. Landry proudly announced he’ll serve in a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the United States", because nothing says respect for sovereignty like publicly declaring your goal is to absorb someone else’s territory.

Denmark’s government, apparently still under the illusion that borders mean something, called the move "deeply upsetting" and reminded Washington that Danish territorial integrity is not a suggestion box. Greenland’s prime minister politely responded with the diplomatic equivalent of "absolutely not", stressing that "Greenland belongs to Greenlanders" and that an American envoy doesn’t magically turn their island into Trump National Nuuk. Polls show Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose joining the US, which makes this whole project very on-brand: an administration that can’t win consent at home now fantasizing about forced acquisitions abroad.

Trump, back in the White House and once again fixated on Greenland’s "strategic location" and mineral wealth, is now refusing to rule out using force to take control of the island – against a NATO ally, during escalating Arctic competition, in a region central to US and alliance security planning. In other words: the guy who screams about "sovereignty" every time someone criticizes him is now openly toying with threatening an ally’s sovereignty to grab resources, because . But sure, tell us again how this is all about national security and not a half-baked colonial fantasy with nuclear submarines.

Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Mar-a-Lago to brief Donald Trump on fresh options for bombing Iran, because nothing says responsible statecraft like planning new airstrikes at a golf resort that also sells wedding packages. Israel wants Trump to sign off on, assist with, or just outright own another round of attacks on Iran’s ballistic missile program and air defenses, on top of June’s U.S.-led Operation Midnight Hammer — the one Trump insists "totally obliterated" Iran’s nuclear capabilities while U.S. assessments quietly say, "lol, not quite."

While Tehran is publicly floating the idea of resuming talks, Trump is privately being handed a familiar four-course war menu: Israel goes solo, Israel with U.S. backup, joint strikes, or the full "America does it all" special. At the same time, he’s considering military strikes in Venezuela, boasting on TV that he’s "destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing, for the first time in 3,000 years, peace to the Middle East" — which is a bold claim, especially for a region that is currently being managed via ceasefires, proxy wars, and PowerPoint target lists on the Oval Office coffee table.

The White House is still thumping its chest about bunker-busting Iran’s enrichment sites, Israel is demanding more action before Iran rebuilds its missile and air defense infrastructure, and Trump is threatening to "obliterate" anything Tehran reconstructs unless they come back to the table on his terms. In other words, U.S. foreign policy is now a protection racket: nice ballistic program you’re trying to rebuild there, shame if something happened to it. But sure, tell yourself this is about "regional stability" and not about a president auditioning for Strongman of the Year while dangling new wars over two continents.

Trump sat down with Kristen Welker and, in classic fashion, used the opportunity to threaten another foreign country, lie about health care, and mangle basic math on tariffs — so, you know, presidential.

First up, Venezuela: the guy who ran on ending forever wars now says he “doesn’t rule out” war with Caracas and has ordered a “blockade” on Venezuelan oil tankers. He won’t say if regime change is the goal, just that Nicolás Maduro “knows exactly what I want.” Because nothing says ‘peace president’ like openly dangling invasion while choking a foreign economy.

On health care, Trump claims his big national address already unveiled his master plan: just give people money and let them “buy their own health insurance” with various “health care accounts.” No details, no structure, no numbers — just vibes and buzzwords. He also insists he doesn’t need to repeal Obamacare because it will “repeal itself,” which is a bold new legal theory where laws vanish if Trump says they’re unpopular on TV.

Then there are tariffs, which Trump now declares will be “permanent” because they supposedly give the U.S. “great national security” and “tremendous wealth.” He even says they’ll pay for his new “warrior dividend” for service members. Tiny problem: a senior administration official and a Senate appropriations source say the money is actually coming from military housing funds, not tariff revenue. In other words, troops get a bonus while their barracks crumble, and the White House calls it a win — but sure, tell me more about how tariffs are writing the checks.

The US has launched large-scale airstrikes across central Syria, because nothing says "careful, measured response" like dropping a bunch of bombs in a country we never officially declared war on. Two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Palmyra, and in true forever-war fashion, the answer is apparently more of the same: a bigger strike package, more targets, and still no coherent strategy beyond "hit back and hope it looks tough on TV".

According to anonymous officials (the only truly permanent branch of government at this point), the strikes hit "dozens" of Islamic State targets, as part of the ongoing US-led campaign that has somehow become a semi-permanent occupation without Congress ever bothering to do its job. In other words, the Trump administration is still running on the same dusty 2001 and 2002 AUMFs like they’re an all-you-can-bomb buffet, because why ask for updated authorization when you can just keep pretending the war on terror is a single, unending episode?

The US is now routinely coordinating with Syria’s own security forces in these operations, which is a fun little reminder that American foreign policy has fully entered the "everyone’s awful, but we brought the jets" phase. But sure, tell us again how this is all about "precision" and "deterrence" and not about a president flexing military power whenever he needs a ratings bump or a distraction from whatever scandal is currently on fire back home.

Trump ran on “no new wars” and is now racking up at least 26 boat strikes, nearly 100 dead, a double-tap strike under congressional scrutiny, the seizure of an oil tanker, and a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers — but don’t worry, it’s not a war, it’s just peace with explosives. The White House insists this is all about "narcoterrorism" and fulfilling campaign promises on drugs, because nothing says "America First" like turning the Caribbean into a live-fire zone to enforce an economic chokehold.

MAGA world, which supposedly hates foreign entanglements, is apparently fine with undeclared military campaigns so long as the targets are "drug boats" and the dead people aren’t American. As one friendly think tanker helpfully explains, you can run "wild and crazy foreign policies" as long as the costs stay low — meaning low for U.S. domestic politics, not for the civilians caught between sanctions, blockades, and missile strikes. The administration is dusting off the Monroe Doctrine, rebranding it as an anti-cartel crusade, and betting the base won’t notice that "ending forever wars" has quietly morphed into forever gunboat diplomacy.

The right is now having a very serious discussion about whether regime change in Venezuela would be a bridge too far, not because killing people and blockading a country might be wrong, but because it might finally pierce the illusion that Trump is some kind of anti-interventionist dove. For now, he gets to posture as both the tough Monroe Doctrine enforcer and the guy who "doesn’t want a protracted war" — a Schrödinger’s warmonger whose bombs are apparently exempt from the "no new wars" promise as long as they’re dropped in the name of fighting drugs.